His heart
by WhiteKandis
Summary: Ok, I kind of updated a chapter 2 to this One-Shot... - Inspired of Kubo-sensei's Q/A in the last "Jet Artbook" and the final chapter of the Bleach light novel "We do knot always love you"/He stared at the smartphone in his hands, spellbound. Again and again his thumb brushed over the name "Orihime Inoue" as it suddenly tapped on "call".
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**  
 **Hi!**  
 **This One-shot is inspired from Kubo-sensei's Q/A in his last Jet Artbook and the final chapter of the Bleach light novel "We do knot always love you".**  
 **I really hope that you'll like it. If so, please let me know! If not, please let me also know and share your thoughts with me.**  
 **THANK YOU!**

 **Jet Artbook Q/A:**  
 _ **Kubo: With regard to these two, they were about to start a dating relationship when Ichigo was a university student, they formally started dating after they both became working adults.**_

 **We do knot always love you:**  
 _ **"Hey, Inoue"**_  
 _ **Standing still, he looked at Orihime.**_  
 _ **"What is it?"**_  
 _ **Tilting her head to the side, Orihime looked up at Ichigo.**_  
 _ **"There's…something I'd like to talk to you about, so next time, do you think you could make some time for me?"**_

.

* * *

.

She had smiled.

" _Of course, Kurosaki-kun_ "

And since then exactly one week had passed. Exactly one week ago, the wedding of Renji and Rukia had taken place, in which, among others also Orihime had taken part of.

Ichigo wasn't a guy who could express feelings well, but he'd decided for some time now to finally ask her out. Renji's pressure had once again made it clear to him how much he wanted her.

Only a few months after graduating from high school and now studying medicine at the University of Tokyo, he had realized that something was missing in his life. Well, to be honest he didn't immediately realized what was missing in particular. Had it been his friends? His family? Maybe even the fights?

For exactly two months he hadn't seen her or his other friends because of all the stress that starting to study at a University caused; the move to Tokyo, the new university, getting to know new people; and God knows how bad he was at that.

Eventually he realized what he had missed the most as he happened to meet her in the grocery store as he came back to Karakura to visit his family and of course his friends.

.

 _He hadn't been prepared to meet her. He was supposed to get eggs for Yuzu on the evening of his return home as he_ _saw her standing there. She was lost in thought as she looked to the many cereal packs on the shelf and probably couldn't decide which one she should take. He went to her without any certain thoughts and actually just to greet one of his best friends, or so he thought then._

 _"Inoue?"_

 _Slowly, very slowly she turned her head in his direction and her brown, big eyes looked right into his. After a few seconds she still showed no reaction as suddenly her eyes and mouth became bigger and bigger and her lips formed into a radiant smile, her eyes shining, brighter, much brighter than the sun._

 _"Kurosaki-kun!"_

 _The next moment he felt her arms around his neck and her petite and so feminine body against his, as his cheeks took on a slightly reddish tinge, yet he still had the strength to put his hands on her back._

 _And that was the moment when Ichigo Kurosaki realized that Orihime Inoue was heartbreakingly missing in his life._

.

After that it didn't get any easier for him. He behaved more and more strangely when she was near, became jealous when she talked about her new colleague in the bakery where she worked as a temp. He tried to come to Karakura much more often than it was actually necessary and every excuse was right for him if he could fle from Tokyo.

Yuzu had the flu? Ichigo was in Karakura.

Karin had a soccer match? Ichigo was in Karakura.

His dad asked him to come home? Ichigo was in Karakura and that meant something.

Orihime studied in Karakura, although he had never understood why. She had much better grades than him and she would probably have been welcomed at any university in Japan. But she had stayed in Karakura. She " _didn't want to be anywhere else_ ". She " _didn't want to move into a new apartment and a new city_ ". She was " _happy **here**_ ".

Ichigo was now in his room in Karakura, which seemed so ridiculously childish to him, with all the posters and useless things he still had here. Compared to his room in the dormitory in Tokyo, which he had to share with a friend from the university, this room was significantly larger.

Outside it was already getting dark, he hadn't switched on the light in his room yet. He sat on his bed, his face illuminated by a bright light. He stared at the smartphone in his hands, spellbound. Again and again his thumb brushed over the name "Orihime Inoue" as it suddenly tapped on "call".

He still had it in his hand as he saw on the display how her number was dialed and the dial tone came. He didn't put it to his ear and thanks to the silence in his room, he could hear if she were to answer his call. And it was already ringing for the third time now. A fourth time. And his hope slowly disappeared, that she would answer.

"Moshi moshi? Kurosaki-kun?"

Hastily he put the phone to his ear and got up, was standing on his feet, barely able to sit still. His other hand went to his neck, his heart beat faster and suddenly he didn't know anymore what he wanted to say.

"Hey Inoue.. I.. What are you doing?" he asked hesitantly, somewhat confused of himself.

"I'm still at the bakery cleaning the tables, we're about to close."

"It's getting dark, you want me to walk you home?"

She laughed briefly on the phone before answering him amusedly.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, you know. You don't have to worry because it's getting dark, it's only 6 pm!"

Ichigo knew fairly how well she could take care of herself, her powers were stronger than ever before.

"I know that. It would only calm me if I could accompany you."

There was a pause for a moment and Ichigo wasn't sure if she was still on the phone.

"I would be glad, Kurosaki-kun."

"I'll be on my way then, see you soon, Inoue."

"Bye, Kurosaki-kun."

She hung up and he stared back at his smartphone.

And he knew; it was either now or never.

.

* * *

.

He waited outside the bakery as a cool breeze blew through his spikey hair. It was spring and he could almost hear the summer knocking against the door. He smiled when he thought of her, wearing summer dresses and doing things they could only do in summer when the weather was warm. Like having a picnic, or going to the beach. Or hanging around in the park. He really wanted to do all this and much more with her.

When he heard voices he shifted his gaze into that direction and saw Orihime and a tall man standing next to her. The man, and Ichigo knew immediately that it had to be her new colleague, held the door of the bakery open for her. As she walked out, Ichigo saw that he put his hand on her lower back and was smiling at her. It seemed as if she didn't notice the man's gesture and smiled back, waving a goodbye.

Ichigo had to hold back. He was jealous, it literally burned in him, in his hands, in his fingertips, in his toes. It wasn't a big deal, he knew that. The guy had just put his hand on her back. But this was already too much and it made him so incredibly jealous, he could hardly put it in words.

When she finally saw to Ichigo, the smile on her lips widened. And Ichigo's jealousy melted away, he couldn't be mad at her or someone else when he saw her smile like that.

He was hopelessly in love, he knew that.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted and walked quickly to his direction.

"Hey Inoue." he greeted her gently, smiling with the one smile he could only give her.

They started to walk as Ichigo spoke.

"How was work?"

"Great! Since Shouta-kun also helps out I am not so tired in the evening anymore. He really helps me a lot and I'm very grateful that Yamamoto-san hired him." she said in a soft voice.

"Do you like him?" And Ichigo wanted to bite his tongue as he realized what he had asked.

"Of course I like Yamamoto-san. He gave me the opportunity to help out in his bakery after all."

Ichigo shook his head and stopped on his way to have a better look at her.

"I don't mean Yamamoto-san." he then said bitterly and knew that all this came out of nowhere.

Orihime also stopped and looked at him a little confused before she understood what he meant.

"Of course I like Shouta-kun, too." her smile disappeared as she said that.

And Ichigo couldn't help it, he just had to ask her, it was burning on his tongue.

"How much do you like him?"

She stared at him, saying nothing. And normally, he would know what Orihime was feeling when he looked into her eyes. He knew if she was happy, if she was scared, if she was sad, if she was nervous.

But right now, at that very moment, he just couldn't see what she was feeling.

And then she answered.

"Not as much as I like you."

And his heart.

His heart.

His heart...

 _ **FIN**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **Okay hi,**  
 **originally this should have been a One-Shot... Now I couldn't get over with this idea to make a chapter 2 so I just found myself writing... this. Thank you for your reviews, I was really happy. Please share your thoughts with me again. I hope this wasn't a failure. Please know, English is not my first language and I don't have a Beta reader. So please tell me if you see any errors.**  
 **Thank you again!**  
 **Leah**

.

* * *

.

For a second his heart stopped before it started beating again and she didn't know how much power she was actually holding over him in her small hands.

And when she smiled at him again, his heart exploded.

He laughed out loud. He laughed because he was so happy. And how many times did it happen that he was so happy? When he heard that she also was laughing, he went to her and hugged her, lifted her up and whirled her around him.

"Kurosaki-kuuuun!" and she just kept laughing as she laid her hands on his shoulders to hold on tight.

After a few turns he put her back on the ground. His heart was pounding against his chest and he was breathing fast, seriously, how happy could he actually get?

She breathed faster and her eyes looked up at him curiously.

"Inoue, you make me very happy." it burst out of him.

Her eyes became even bigger and she breathed deeply before giving him her wonderful smile again.

"You make me very happy too...Kurosaki-kun."

When he was able to breathe normally again, he noticed that her hands were still resting on his shoulders and his hands were on her back. He was so close to her and wanted to be much closer. And he didn't just want closeness, he wanted a lot more, so much more from her than just a kiss.

"I'll take you home now."

Her warm breath hit his face, his stomach tumbled. Never before had he been so close to her and he knew - the closer he got to her, the more he wanted. And there was no return, no no's and no buts. It was either all or nothing.

So he took her hand in his and walked her to her apartment, they talked about their studies and about their work. They talked about Chad's next boxing match and Tatsuki's Karate.

"Ne, Kurosaki-kun." she said at some point timidly as they stood outside her door and released her hand from his. "Are you thinking about coming back to Karakura?"

This question confused him as he realized that he had never really thought about it before. For him, it had never been an option to stay in Tokyo.

"I'm not staying in Tokyo, I'll come back." he said clearly to her surprise. After a few seconds she turned and unlocked the door to her apartment. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him as he heard her soft voice.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun, for walking me home... Good night."

"Wait, Inoue!" He put his hand on the door before she could close it. She turned back to him in surprise and looked at him questioningly.

"Inoue." his voice was quiet and uncertain as he took a step closer to her, standing right in front of her now. Her mouth opened and her eyes widened again.

"Could you make up some time for me tomorrow?"

"Always." she said, touched by his request and not thinking for even a second for her answer.

He smiled and took his hand off the door when he finally put it in his pocket. She beamed at him and put her hands over her chest. It was a sight he wanted to see every day.

"I'll pick you up in the afternoon, should I text you before I come?"

"That would be great, Kurosaki-kun."

"Good night... Orihime."

And she said nothing, her mouth wide open as he turned his back and slowly made his way home. Then he heard her shouting out to him.

"Good night, Ichigo!"

And his heart...

.

* * *

.

"Be there in 30 minutes." Ichigo typed into his phone and sent the message to Orihime. He still could just hardly believe what had happened yesterday. It had only taken him one evening to get closer to her than ever before. And what would happen if he would spend even more time with her? Why had he waited so long anyway? Renji was right, he couldn't and shouldn't wait any longer.

"I'm going out." Ichigo pulled his jacket at the front door and walked out.

"See ya, Ichi-nii." he heard his sister's voice before closing the door.

On the way to Orihime his mind was freaking out. He thought in his head over and over again through what he wanted to tell her. He wanted to explain everything to her, his feelings, his goals and his plans. She should be part of everything and know what he was up to in the future.

He rang the doorbell when he came to her apartment and heard her footsteps as she opened the door. She stood smiling in front of him, in her knee-length blue dress and a light jacket.

"Kurosaki-kun, it's good to see you! Would you like to come in?"

"Hey, Inoue, no thanks, I already have something else in mind for us."

Ichigo grinned and held out his hand to her, which she happily accepted. She bent down and took her bag before closing the door behind her.

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere special... I was thinking of walking and... eating ice cream?"

"Kurosaki-kuuuun! I am so happy, I haven't eaten ice cream for so long." she chuckled happily and started to go a little faster.

Ichigo laughed briefly when he saw her like this. How easy it was to impress her was always surprising for him.

After getting sundaes and walking around, they talked about Soul Society and Rukia's and Renji's wedding. And he comforted her when she started crying again because she was so touched. She was really happy for her friends, Ichigo could feel that. Suddenly she stopped, looked around and sat down on a bench on the side of the road. She tapped her hand on the empty seat next to her and called him to her.

"Kurosaki-kun, I wanted to give you something." she pulled out an envelope of her bag. "Look." she reached into the envelope and took out a handful of photos. "These are photos of the wedding, they're so good. Thank you for taking over the camera for me Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo saw that her eyes were shining again and she was sniffling. "Inoue, it's all good."

"I know, but I'm so happy for her... Kuchiki-san really deserves it, you know. Finally, after so long, they're finally together." she sobbed quietly and took the third handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe away her tears.

Ichigo realized that this was a good point to express his own thoughts.

"Inoue, I have to ask you something." he said then seriously, looking at her.

Her gaze landed on him as she tilted her head to one side.

"What is it, Kurosaki-kun?"

He swallowed briefly and took her hand back in his. Everything he wanted to tell her disappeared from his mind and he didn't know where to start. He had so much planned to explain to her and yet he had to search for the right words.

"Inoue... There is a possibility that I can continue my studies here in Karakura and no longer have to go to Tokyo."

"Really? That sounds wonderful, Kurosaki-kun!"

He swallowed again and looked at their united hands.

"Yeah... Do you think ... Do you think you could wait for me, Orihime?"

He saw her hand twitching, looked then into her eyes.

"...Wait?"

"I know you've waited long enough for me and I can't ask you to wait any longer but... But please just wait a little bit longer... until I'm ready to give you what you really deserve."

She didn't blink and didn't sob. She said nothing and just looked at him as a tear rolled down her cheek again. And instinctively he raised his hand and brushed away the tear with his thumb.

"I try so fast a-"

Ichigo's voice failed as he felt her hands around his neck, her warm body against his. Her sobs and the words on her lips broke his heart for a moment.

"Ichi... Ichigo.. of course I'll wait... Kuro... Kurosaki-kun, I'm so happy..." were the only words he really understood when he put his hands around her back and slowly stroked up and down.

"It's all good... I'm sorry it took me so long."

Slowly her sobs vanished and she calmed down again as she pushed herself away to look at him.

"You know, Kurosaki-kun..." her eyes were closed as she breathed deeply "if I had five lives," she was smiling so brilliant "I'd still be waiting for you... I promise."

And his heart was throbbing again when he put his forehead against hers and took her face in his hands.

"Thank you... Orihime."

 _FIN_


End file.
